As Advisory Members, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology (MJIIT) attended the Global Technology Initiative (GTI) Consortium Symposium on 6 December 2019 at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT), Japan. GTI is an industry-academia-government collaboration comprising of 218 member institutions including industry, corporations and associations, learning institutions, and government organisations in Japan and South East Asia. The symposium featured special speeches from its member representatives, including Mr Alexandre Riesterer, Director and Executive Vice President of Bosch Corporation, Japan, and Dr Hiroshi Fujiwara, Chairman and President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Association Japan and BroadBand Tower, Inc, Japan.

Group photo of GTI Advisory Committee and Organising Committee

UTM and MJIIT have been participating in GTI activities since the establishment of the alliance in December 2015. In addition to international projects between learning institutions, the consortium also focuses on inter-governmental projects, allowing allied universities to take part in national aid projects based on intergovernmental agreements and international joint research projects. Through its global internship, it presents student opportunities for internship at firms and factories overseas to experience cultural diversity and gain understanding on different approaches to problem solving. In its Global Project Based Learning, students from member universities form international teams to put forward proposals and present ideas to solve challenging technical issues, with mentorship from university faculty members, authorities working at member companies and government agencies.

In the opening ceremony of the symposium, Prof Dr Masato Murakami, President of SIT, emphasised the need for a new generation of engineers who are able to function in global teams, appreciating and respecting professional and cultural diversity. GTI will be a platform where global industries and universities in Japan and the world in cooperation with government agencies collaborate to nurture global engineers, and to bring technological innovation, and thus to strengthen international competitiveness in the engineering field. The consortium aims to foster global human resources, drive innovation for global sustainability, Quality Assurance of higher education in STEM fields, and enhance industry competitiveness.

UTM delegates with Prof Dr Masato Murakami

UTM was represented by the Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Prof Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohammed Rafiq Abdul Kadir, who was also attending on behalf of the Vice Chancellor of UTM, the Dean of Malaysia-Japan International Institute of Technology, Prof Dr Ali Selamat, and Manager (International Alliances), UTM International, Dr Farhana Diana Deris.